A Small Act of Repentance
by ihadanepiphany
Summary: How do you make up for being Vader? Looking after your kids maybe? Too much! To know more you must read!
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: The cast of the following story belongs to George Lucas yada, yada, yada, you all know the drill by now.  
  
AUTHOR: ihadanepiphany  
  
SUMMARY: How do you make up for being Vader? I didn't know what to put this under since there's a bit of everything really, but the first parts kinda……I really don't know. You'll have to tell me in the reviews.  
  
It has been brought to my attention that Anakin sleeps a lot in this fic, I put the fic so that it spreads out over around about, somewhere in the region of two possibly three days. (This could be why people who ask me directions also seem to get lost. Dunno why, makes perfect sense to me, kinda.) The kid IS going to sleep at least twice in three days; although if he's anything like my little demon, I mean cousins then obv he's going to try not to. This is my very roundabout way of saying, pretend the kid always sleeps and it'll much more sense, I promise. (crosses fingers) Enjoy!  
  
  
  
It was a quiet morning in the Solo household. Leia was enjoying a rare and well-deserved lie-in, the kids were sleeping and Han was drinking a cup of coffee and reading the latest Smashball results, the Dreadnaughts had lost, again.  
  
Han was mentally cursing this, remembering the bet he'd had with Lando Calrission on the game, when he heard his youngest child, Anakin enter.  
  
'Good morning Ani,' he said, putting the coffee down and scooping the boy onto his lap. 'Have a good sleep?'  
  
'Yeah.' Though it was earlier than the kids' normal waking time he looked highly energetic.  
  
'Did you have any nightmares?' Anakin had become prone to them over the last few nights, waking up screaming at least twice a night for the last seven.  
  
'Nope, not one.' Han heaved a sigh of relief, maybe it was the end of it. The nightmares were affecting everyone in the household, leaving them tired every morning and Leia and the kids pale and drained. Luke had tried to get to the bottom of it but came up with nothing. They had decided it was a phase to be borne out. Then Anakin said;  
  
'The big guy kept them away.'  
  
'What big guy?'  
  
'The big guy in the black shiny helmet.' Han stared at his son in shock as the boy continued. 'And he had a light, light, light,' he looked to his father for the word.  
  
'Lightsaber?'  
  
'Yeah, like Uncle Luke's, 'cept it was red, and long black cloak and…'  
  
'Anakin,' Han interrupted him. 'Are you sure about this? About the helmet?' Anakin looked at him.  
  
'Yeah dad, it was black and shiny and had round eyes and a breather thingy with silver bits.' He saw his fathers' disbelief. 'It did!' he cried, close to tears.  
  
'Alright, alright Ani,' reassured him, hugging him. 'I believe you.' His caught his son around the waist and swung him onto another chair. 'What do you want for breakfast?' he asked, getting up and going over to the food processors.  
  
As he laughed and joked with his son over breakfast, Han's mind was still reeling from the shock of hearing Anakin calmly describe Darth Vader. One fact stood out, he had to get him to Luke.  
  
Some fifteen-odd hours later he stepped off the Millennium Falcon with Leia and the kids to see Luke waiting for them.  
  
'Han, Leia what brings you to this part of the galaxy?' he asked, welcoming them. His eyes flicked to Anakin. 'More nightmares?'  
  
'Not quite,' Han replied. The twins pulled at Leia's arms, wanting to go into the Temple.  
  
'I'll bring these two in Han,' she told her husband.  
  
'We'll be in in a minute,' he assured her. He picked up Anakin who immediately began to doze off. The largely sleepless nights had as much of an effect on him as they did on the others. He saw Luke recoil and stare at something behind him. He turned; there was nothing there that he could see.  
  
'I think,' Luke said, still staring behind Luke. 'That we should stay out of the Temple for a while.  
  
They found a small empty clearing in the middle of the forest; Luke didn't particularly want his more Force-strong students panicking. At his request, Han put the now-sleeping Anakin lying down on the grass.  
  
'You should stand back,' Luke advised. Han took one step backwards and stood there. Luke decided not to contest the issue.  
  
Vader sat cross-legged and meditating by Anakin Solo's side, but could only be seen through the Force. Even to Luke's eyes, there was nothing there but grasses, but to the Force, Darth Vader was seemingly protecting his grandson, as large as life. But protecting him from who? Or what?  
  
Luke reached out a hand and placed it on Anakin's shoulder, watching Vader closely. Vader didn't move, but Luke got the sense that Vader was watching him just as keenly. Luke withdrew his hand ad sent out a tendril of the Force directed towards his nephew.  
  
Han was watching this, though he couldn't see Vader. He saw Luke touch his son's shoulder, for some reason he got even more wary. Luke suddenly cried out and threw himself backwards. Han reacted with all the lighting-quick reflexes of a smuggler pilot. He lunged forward and grabbing his son's shirt, yanked him towards him, jerking the boy from sleep. Anakin looked at his father crossly.  
  
'Why'd you wake me?'  
  
'How much did you tell her?' Han looked uncomfortable. He and Luke were walking back to the Academy where Leia and the twins were waiting.  
  
'What could I tell her?' he asked. 'As bright as Anakin is he's still a kid and kids imagine things. He might have seen an image of Vader somewhere and it appeared in his dream, you know what kids are like.' Even to his ears it sounded lame. 'I didn't want to worry her until we knew for sure, one way or the other.'  
  
'Well, we know now,' Luke said, half-to-himself. Han just nodded. He let Anakin go to his siblings, where they were soon engaged in a game of tag.  
  
Leia waited for them to join her. That they were ill at ease was easy to tell.  
  
'Well?' she asked when they were seated at the bench. 'Can I have an explanation for being dragged all the way here? Not that I object to visiting you Luke,' she added hastily.  
  
'Anakin told me that he had no nightmares last night,' Han began.  
  
'I noticed, he didn't have any on the ship either.'  
  
'We think we know why.'  
  
'He's gotten over it, hasn't he? The stage is over, enough said.'  
  
'Not quite,' Luke told her. He paused, picking his words. 'I saw a, disturbance beside Ani when he was sleeping earlier.'  
  
'What kid of?' Leia paused. 'You saw a disturbance beside Ani? What does that mean exactly?'  
  
Luke explained. As he told her how he saw Vader first follow Han as he carried the sleeping Ani then sitting beside Ani when he was lying down, she unconsciously sought out Han's hand with her own. When he told her how, when he directed the Force towards Ani, Vader had lunged for him, lightsaber drawn and activated she turned away.  
  
'I thought we were free of him,' she said after a while. 'Force-dammit I thought we were free of him! And now the son-of-a-bitch is after my son.' By her voice Leia was close to tears. Han put his arms around her.  
  
'Leia listen,' he said. 'Anakin says he only showed up last night and last night the nightmares stopped. And Vader only attacked Luke when he used the Force.'  
  
'So what are you saying? That Vader's protecting him?'  
  
'Well, yeah.'  
  
'Even if I believed that, which I don't by the way, what's after Ani that's so terrible to make Darth Vader protect him?'  
  
  
  
So whaddaya think? Lets put it this way, you think its great, I'll put more up cos you enjoyed it. You think its utter bullcock, I'll put up more just to spite you. Either way I win. Review anyway, cos I'm kinda cold, I need the flames. 


	2. A little insight

DISCLAIMER: Do I have to admit that I don't own Star Wars? Oh Alright! All hail the great and mighty George Lucas the creator and the owner of the SW universe blah blah blah!  
  
AUTHOR: Me! It's mine, all mine!  
  
I'm so glad you guys think it's a good fic, me I'm not all that sure of it, but ye are so that's all that matters. Most of ye brought up the problem of the black suit and Vader attacking Luke. But never fear, all will be revealed. Though if you're like some of my "friends" I showed this too, you still wont get it. Just read and accept. Oh yeah, and review.  
  
Enjoy! (starts praying)  
  
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Leias' anger echoed through the Force and Vader, knowing it was directed at him, felt a pang at her words. But she was right, and he didn't want her to feel any other way. To do so might make him forget the atrocities he committed while alive. That was why, in a place where you could look like anything you wanted to, he kept the image of the black atmosphere suit, though it repulsed him. You can't make up for billions of lives lost and destroyed with a simple "I'm sorry."  
  
He was equally determined that nothing would happen to his family, which is why he'd started watching over his namesake. The boy was more powerful in the Force than any of them, except Luke, realized. And the Dark Side was attracted to the strong.  
  
Some manifestation of the Dark Side had been getting at the child through his dreams. Vader only discovered it the night before. To ensure it didn't happen again he set up a full vigil of all of his line. Such a thing was easy when you're dead and bored. He regretted having to attack Luke, but he had to realize that the threat came from the Dark Side, not a physical being.  
  
He knew that Leia preferred not to think of him as her father. He could understand it, but wished she would think of Padme as he mother, she was so like her. The same hair and eyes, the same sheer stone-headedness and fiery temper, the same bloody-mindedness when it comes to protecting what was hers. But then neither woman could have survived without those traits. Just looking her made him realize how much he'd thrown away and yearn for the woman that he hadn't seen in some 30 years.  
  
He pulled himself from reverie as he felt a presence approach. It was Yoda, now much younger than Vader remembered in life. His skin was brighter, wrinkles invisible, walking stick nonexistent. But the most startling change was his hair; it was now as thick as Qui-gons' was long and a kind of russet brown. Vader kept watching it in case it turned out to be some kind of furry leech.  
  
'Made much progress, have you?' Yoda asked.  
  
'Luke knows, and now Leia and Han do too,' Vader replied.  
  
'Appear to them, will you?' Vader shook her head.  
  
'Leia might have a heart-attack.' Vader smiled behind his mask. 'I don't feel like spending eternity with her yelling at me.'  
  
'Good lungs, she has,' Yoda agreed, looking sideways at the former Sith Lord, who merely laughed and tweaked the old Masters ear with the Force.  
  
'Watch it Padawan,' a new voice said, as its owner materialized on the other side of Vader.  
  
'Yes Master Kenobi,' Vader answered in the same sarcastic singsong voice he had used when under Obi-wans tutelage. Obi-wan appeared much as did when Vader first knew him, minus the Padawan braid of course.  
  
'Any information yet?' he asked. Vader shook his head.  
  
'Nothing we didn't know before. What about you?'  
  
'Not yet, but people are on it.' While Vader watched his family, the rest of the Jedi were scouring the galaxy for traces of the manifestation that plagued Anakin Solo, but it was a huge galaxy and even with all the Jedi in history it took time to cross out all the hiding places for the Dark Side. Especially when it could hide in the recesses of someones' mind.  
  
Vader wanted it found before Anakin fell asleep again. He was confident that he could hold it off, but for how long? And how long would it be before the Dark Side began to seem attractive again?  
  
And from there, how long before he became Darth Vader again in more than form?  
  
  
  
I love cliff-hangers, don't you? Alright so its not much of one, but you try writing one while babysitting a hyper-active four-year-old. If you like, I can have the next one up in a couple o days, if you don't, screw you I'm putting it up anyway. Thanx! 


	3. Aha! A twist!

DISCLAIMER: I'm NOT typing it again. See last two chapters.  
  
AUTHOR: If ye don't know by know, there's no bloody hope for ye.  
  
My God, it's the third chapter! I wasn't even going to put this one up at all. I've been meaning to rewrite this one, but between, stuff, and er, "studying" and more stuff I've never gotten around to it. It's a bit longer than the others, but bear with it. Review, flames, I really don't care. If you want to review I wont say no, but you don't HAVE to.  
  
Hope ya like!  
  
  
  
Luke stared out the window over the forest. Behind him Leia was trying to keep the kids awake, but it was hard going as they had spent the whole day running around. Han had given up trying to talk her out of it and just watched.  
  
Lukes' mind was in turmoil, could he be wrong? Could Vader just be a manifestation of the Dark Side and not his father at all? Could the nightmares have stopped for the simple reason that whatever was causing them was simply lying low, as the Sith themselves did for so many millennia? The simple fact was that he just didn't know. But looking at his sister, seeing the worry etched into the lines of her face, told him not to let her know that just yet.  
  
'Leia please,' Han was saying. 'Luke knows what he's doing. The children are exhausted. Please let them sleep.'  
  
'Vader is not getting his hands on them,' she replied stubbornly.  
  
'Of course he isn't,' Luke said, coming over. 'Because I'm going to sit right beside them all night.'  
  
'But,' Leia began.  
  
'Don't you trust me Leia?' It was a cheap move and Luke knew it, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.  
  
'You know I do,' she cried.  
  
'Then trust me on this.' His blue eyes stared right into her brown as he said,' Even if Vader does try anything I am going to be right beside them all night. They will be fine.' Leia's shoulders slumped.  
  
'Promise?' she pleaded. Luke smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. He put her to sleep with a touch of the Force and caught her as she fell. Han took her wordlessly.  
  
'You're sneaky when you want to be,' he commented, turning away. He paused at the door of the bedchamber. 'You didn't promise.' It was a statement, not a question.  
  
Luke sat cross-legged against the wall, facing the already sleeping children.  
  
'I know.'  
  
Yoda and Vader watched as Luke fell into a trance.  
  
'Taken it seriously, he has,' Yoda commented.  
  
'I should hope so,' Vader replied. 'He's had enough reason to.' While Vader and Yoda and Luke watched the children, Obi Wan and Qui-gon were minding Han and Leia. Even know their quarrelling didn't cease.  
  
'Were they like that in life?' Vader asked. He couldn't imagine it, though to be fair, he was nine when Qui Gon was killed. Yoda shrugged.  
  
'Sometimes, but kept his trap shut, Obi Wan did, out of respect for Qui- gon.' Yoda winced as he heard a particularly vile oath. 'Now it matters not.'  
  
Vader listened with astonishment to Obi Wan and Qui-gon. He had never known his former master to lose his temper while alive, now he never kept a lid on it. Surely Luke could hear it  
  
'There it is,' Vader muttered and Luke turned his head towards Leia and Han's bedchamber. 'Guess I'd better make an appearance before those two get any louder.'  
  
Luke was wondering if he was hearing things when Vader appeared. He leant against the wall to the left of Luke, facing the sleeping children. He nodded.  
  
'Luke.'  
  
'Father,' Luke replied. He glanced towards the closed door again. Vader read the look correctly.  
  
'Kenobi and Jinn. They make one hell of a racket, don't they?'  
  
'Ben and, who?'  
  
'Qui-gon Jinn, Obi Wans master.' Luke looked at Vader. 'You did know that Obi Wan had a master, right?' Vader asked, jokingly.  
  
'Of course, but, what are they fighting over?' Vader shrugged.  
  
'That's one of the imponderable mysteries of the Universe. Not even Yoda's able to figure it out.' Vader thought a moment. 'There was a fresh argument three days ago about the quality of light, they might still be going on about that.'  
  
'The quality of light? What are they arguing about that for?'  
  
'More like how can you argue about that. Qui-gon's been dead since I was nine and Obi Wans been dead for some 10 years.' Vader shrugged again. 'Guess they've gone through everything else.' Both men looked at Jacen as he stirred, half-woken by the bickering Jedi. Vader tsked. 'Throw up a barrier Luke, those fools are waking the kids.' Luke already had one up, but he threw up another.  
  
'How did Qui-gon die?' Luke asked after a few minutes.  
  
'A Sith.' Vader shifted uncomfortably. 'By the name of Darth Maul.'  
  
'Your predecessor.' Vader coughed.  
  
'I guess you could say that.'  
  
'Who killed him?'  
  
'The Sith? Obi Wan.' Almost nobody in the galaxy had ever seen Darth Vader squirm. Luke took a perverse delight in it.  
  
'And you killed Obi Wan.'  
  
'You were there, remember?' As Vader looked at him, Luke saw himself standing in front of the Millennium Falcon in the first Death Star. A loud sound reached his ears like a magnified ventilator. With a start, Luke realized he was seeing through his fathers' eyes. He saw himself yell 'Ben!' and stand in shock and stormtroopers shot at him and missed. He heard Han yell 'Get the door kid,' and saw himself shoot out the door lock. The door slammed shut in his face.  
  
'I vaguely recall,' he said, as his vision cleared.  
  
Vader barely heard him, he could feel something in the Force, very faint, but familiar. The quarrelling in the other room ceased as the two Jedi felt it too.  
  
Luke stared as two Jedi materialized by Vader.  
  
'It's the Dark Side,' Qui-gon stated matter-of-factly. Obi Wan snorted.  
  
'Of course it's the Dark Side. Why do you always have to state the obvious?'  
  
'I only said…'  
  
'Will you shut up!' Vader hissed. Startled, they did but kept shooting each other dirty looks. 'It's a Sith, old. Luke,' he told his son. 'Get behind the barrier, pour as much power into it as you can.'  
  
'But.' Luke wanted to help fight it off.  
  
'If the Sith get Anakin then everything will have been for nothing,' Vader explained, activating his lightsaber. 'That child has to remain in the Light. If he turns, well, neither Palpatine nor myself will seem like anything in comparison. Now get behind that damn barrier!'  
  
Luke did so. He fell back into a trance easily. There were already two barriers, he hardened them to the same consistency as permacrete and put up a third inside them. He made each barrier independent, so that even if one or two fell the third would still stand. He extended them through the walls and floor into a sphere so that nothing could come through from any side. He concentrated on this until he could balance the Force needed without thinking about it. Then he turned to the childrens beds. He did the same around each bed, three impermeable barriers in a sphere. Then he put up a fourth, one that would cloak their identities. He was tempted to make Anakins barriers stronger, but that would be too much of a giveaway.  
  
Luke was using more of the Force than he had ever done; the trick was to balance the energies, knowing where to place your thumb on the scales. When he was sure he had it, he opened his eyes.  
  
Vader was prowling around the perimeter of the barriers, watching for the Sith. Obi Wan and Qui-gon were gone again.  
  
'It won't manifest,' Vader growled when he saw Luke looking at him. 'I can feel it around the barrier, but it wont manifest.  
  
A shelf full of trinkets flew across the room and rebounded harmlessly off the barrier.  
  
'It's testing the barrier.' Vader glanced at it. 'Damn good barrier, it wont get through.' Luke ignored the feeling of pride, fearing that it might interfere with his focus.  
  
'What about Han and Leia?' he asked suddenly.  
  
'The others are taking care of them,' Vader replied, meaning the Jedi ghosts. A chair rebounded off the air six inches in front of the door to Han and Leias bedchamber. 'See?'  
  
Soon the air was filled with flying missiles, not one reaching their targets. Vader yawned deliberately. A series of heavy object flew at him. Vader watched them, unperturbed.  
  
'Force but this guys stupid,' he commented to Luke as they passed through his less than solid form.  
  
Abruptly, the barrage stopped, a large chair that had been hovering above Luke, bounced off the barrier and crashed into the wall. Luke winced, glad there was no-one else on this floor.  
  
Vader glanced at him. 'Don't worry, Yoda put a sound dampener around the place. No one'll hear a thing.'  
  
'I'm more worried about what they'll feel,' Luke muttered. He'd probably spend most of tomorrow calming frightened students.  
  
'Blame the weather,' Vader suggested. As if waiting for the cue, lightening flashed and the skies opened. 'Amazing how the bad guys always need drama.'  
  
'You're telling me?' Luke asked, eyeing the floor-length black cloak his father was never seen without.  
  
'Watch it.' A hooded form suddenly appeared in the window. Vader tsked and raised his sabre. 'I knew it.' The hooded being lifted a customised lightsaber hilt. Two crimson blades sprang out, one each end. Vader paused. 'Or maybe I didn't.'  
  
'Who is it?' Luke asked. Vader ignored the question as he and the Sith circled each other. They pounced.  
  
Luke watched, keenly aware of the fact that had Vader really been out to kill hem, he would never have survived. The two fought with unbelievable skill. There wasn't a heartbeats breathing space between each attack and counter-attack. It was difficult to tell who the better fighter was as the fight got dirtier.  
  
Vader blocked a left jab and turned it into a diagonal cut, getting inside the Siths defences. The Sith jumped back as Vader hoped he would. Vader created a short barrier behind the Sith. It tripped and crashed to the floor, loosing its lightsaber. Vader swiftly created another barrier above and around the Sith, preventing it from moving.  
  
'Now lets see,' he began and stopped in shock. The Siths hood had fallen back, revealing…  
  
Luke, sensing the change in his fathers mood called out, 'What is it? Who's the Sith?'  
  
Vader's reply was little more than a whisper and Luke barely heard it.  
  
'Padme.'  
  
  
  
How will it end? I know, but I'm not telling. Not till I get the next chapter up anyway, cos I really have to rewrite that one. As you may have noticed I'm rubbish at fight scenes, so use your imagination, you must. Hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned, for the next epic instalment! (falls about laughing) Review, don't review, no skin off my nose…… There are times when I curse my imagination. 


	4. Its the end of the world as we know it! ...

DISCLAIMER: How many times do I have to say it before ye remember it?!!!  
  
AUTHOR: See disclaimer.  
  
Omigod it's the ending! Noooo! No, wait a minute, that means I wont have to sit in front of the computer typing anymore. Yeeessss!!! But that also means I don't get any more brilliant reviews. Booooo!!!!! How about you guys review one, just one I swear it, one more time and I'll write more, er, other stories? Or not, as your opinion goes. Oh who cares! Ye're stuck with me! Read on regardless.  
  
Oh yes! And to that annoying person who keeps telling me that Vader would appear as Anakin because he does at the end of ROTJ: I BLOODY WELL KNOW!!! Does the word "repentance" mean anything to you?! He's in the suit because he's repenting!! (clears throat) Anyway.  
  
Enjoy! (Sob)  
  
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'This is not good,' Mace Windu admitted. He and Yoda were watching from the Force.  
  
'Devious bastards, the Dark Side are.'  
  
'I think it's time for plan B.'  
  
'Wait,' Yoda said. 'Stronger than that, Skywalker is. Give him time.'  
  
'Father! What are you doing?' Luke shouted as Vader deactivated his lightsaber and let the Sith up.  
  
'Its Padme.' Luke looked at the Sith. It looked exactly like his mother, but something wasn't right. Something didn't fit about the eyes.  
  
Padme/Sith smiled at Vader.  
  
'Anakin,' she said softly. 'What have you been up to, causing all this trouble?'  
  
'I, I,' Vader stammered. He couldn't believe it, after thirty years she had come back to him. (A/N My mental arithmetic is not the best as one has pointed out, so if the figure 30 is wrong then I'm sorry!)  
  
'That's not Padme,' Luke shouted at him. 'Father, that's not Padme. It's the Dark Side taking her form.' Padme/Sith looked at him, then Luke realized what disturbed him about her eyes. They were as blank as a dead mans.  
  
Padme/Sith turned back to Vader who was still in shock.  
  
'I've missed you so much,' she said to him, reaching up to touch his mask. 'Now why don't we take our grandson and go away for a while, just the three of us.'  
  
'Look at her eyes father! Don't listen to her!' Luke didn't know what to do, Vader wasn't listening to him and he couldn't go out to him because if he dropped the barrier for even a heartbeat the Dark Side would be on him and he knew that he couldn't hold it off and keep the kids' barriers up.  
  
Vader heard his son, but he didn't make much sense to him. He was looking at her eyes, they were just as lovely as he remembered. But as he looked he got a slight sense of something not being right.  
  
'Come on Anakin,' Padme/Sith pleaded, a note of desperation seeping into her voice. 'Lets go from here and take Ani junior with us.'  
  
'Why? What's the rush?' Vader heard himself say.  
  
'There's no rush.' But the agitation in her hands told him she was lying. 'I just want to be alone with you for a while.'  
  
'And Anakin.'  
  
'Well, yes of course.'  
  
'Why?' Vader was openly suspicious now, but he still didn't know why. It was like some instinct made him wary for no apparent reason.  
  
'Because he's our grandson.' Vader shrugged.  
  
'Luke's our son, Leia's our daughter. Why not bring them along?'  
  
'Because,' Padme/Sith faltered. Panic was clear now in her voice.  
  
'Because?' Vader pressed. Now he knew what was wrong, he couldn't feel her presence in the Force, because she wasn't there, it was just an illusion created by the Dark Side.  
  
'Do I have to have a reason?' she countered. Vader sighed and activated his sabre.  
  
'Sometimes.' He lobbed the head off of the illusion with one stroke. A shockwave of energy picked him up and threw him into Lukes Force barrier. A terrible sound erupted at the same moment, a shriek combined with a howl at maximum volume. It trailed off and utter silence followed.  
  
Vader groaned and rolled over.  
  
'Force, but that's a strong barrier,' he groaned.  
  
'Father?'  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
'What the hell just happened?' Vader picked himself up and retrieved his lightsaber.  
  
'The Sith put so much energy into the illusion of Padme that when I destroyed it the power backwash sapped too much power,' Vader explained, in a tightly controlled voice. 'It'll take them years to recover their strength.'  
  
'Yes, unfortunately only Palpatine and Maul were behind that one,' Qui-gon said, materializing beside Vader. 'There are many more out there.' He glanced at Luke. 'You can drop the barriers now.' Lukes' eyes flicked to Vader who nodded. With relief he dropped the barriers.  
  
'Well done Anakin,' Obi Wan said, appearing by the door to Han and Leias bedchamber. 'You too Luke, you even kept Yoda out.'  
  
Luke heard a familiar humph come from behind him.  
  
'Keep me out, he did not,' Yoda denied. 'Want to go in, I did not.'  
  
'Oh so that wasn't you I saw kicking the barrier and cursing?' Obi Wan asked innocently. Yoda humphed again and ignored him.  
  
'What's the mater Yoda?' a female voice asked from the corner. 'Cat got your tongue?' Luke turned to see who it was. A Chiss female in Jedi robes had materialized there. Though she looked no older than he, Luke got the sense that she was ancient.  
  
'Master Hackr'ian,' Yoda said respectfully. Luke gasped. Master Hackr'ian was one of the founders of the original Jedi Temple on Coruscant. That was over five thousand years ago!  
  
Master Hackr'ian laughed at the look on Lukes face.  
  
'The centuries fly by after the first millennium or two,' she confided.  
  
'Master Hackr'ian,' Luke began. The Chiss held up a hand, cutting him off.  
  
'I can't answer any questions about the founding of the old Jedi Temple,' she told him.  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'Because you should move forward into the future, not keep to the past. That is the nature of things.' Luke thought about it for a moment then nodded. 'Good. Besides I'm not here to brush you up on your history. I'm here for someone else.' She turned to Vader. 'Anakin Skywalker, I presume?'  
  
'Yes. Master Hackr'ian,' he added when Yoda Qui-gon and Obi Wan all gave him a Force-belt over the helmet.  
  
'I have a little something for you.'  
  
'Goody.' He shot a filthy look over his shoulder. 'Master Hackr'ian.'  
  
A young woman in simple dress stepped out of thin air. She took Vader by the hand and the whole black suit and helmet ensemble faded to reveal a young man in Jedi robes.  
  
Anakin Skywalker gave Luke a cheery wave as he and Padme, the real Padme, disappeared. Luke looked around. The others were gone, except for Yoda, who was gazing at Anakin Solo.  
  
'Yoda, where'd they go?'  
  
'Three decades, they have been apart,' Yoda replied. 'Some time off, they took. Want to see that, you do not.'  
  
'I think you're right on that,' Luke agreed hastily. 'So what now?' Yoda shrugged.  
  
'Safe, the kids are, for now. But never easy, is the path of a Jedi. Trouble is in your way.' Luke sighed and grinned wryly.  
  
'Same old, same old.' Yodas laugh faded with his image.  
  
Luke looked at the chronometer, wondering whether to go to his own bed. A lung-bursting yawn settled the issue and he slept on the couch.  
  
Anakin and Padme Skywalker watched over their family til the morning came. The Dark Side wouldn't stay away forever, or even for long. But for now all was well, and nothing else mattered.  
  
  
  
Don't that just wanna make you go aaawwww! Or not, as the case may be. I hope you enjoyed this hectic helter-skelter through time and space and, everything else. Your reviews have been great, thanx!  
  
This is not the last you hear of me! I swear it! I will write more! Until the SW Universe is mine! All mine! (enter guys in white coats and they carry ihadanepiphany away kicking and screaming, never to see a keyboard again)  
  
Audience shot: Yay!!!! 


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